


A talent, a deal and a friendship

by Ianimeneedhelp



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Bullying, Cruel adults yes, I am very sorry, I have changed my mind, Ishis parents are gold cinnamon buns, Kinda, M/M, No Despair, OOC, The teachers smiles are a lie, musician highschool au, possible triggers in later chapters, tiny despairful undertone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2018-06-06 04:54:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6738913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ianimeneedhelp/pseuds/Ianimeneedhelp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ishimaru decides to investigate strange music at the school late at night.What he finds is NOT what he was expecting.But hey,who knows what could happen when secrets leak and a deal is made.He may even gain a friend;<br/>or just a little more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. deal

Ishimaru loved the school after hours.the tapping his shoes made on the cool stone floor echoed round the empty space.He was on his way back from his library study session , when he heard the crisp notes of a guitar slicing their way through the silence.Curious, Ishimaru followed the sound to the music rooms.Band practice wasn't till next week right?And yet there he was,entranced by the melody of a song he couldn't quite recall.Continuing his search,he located a small room that wasn't used as much as the others.The door was closed,but he could still hear the strum of the guitar,louder than ever.He was usually the only student here at this hour,so it confused him as to why another person was here.Not even the teachers stayed this late.He pressed his ear to the door,scrunching his face in concentration as he tried to recognise this song.Then it hit him.He knew this song,it was so obvious.The notes stopped for a second,only to begin again,even louder.This time when the notes hit the first verse,they were accompanied by singing.The voice seemed so familiar,but the guitar and the door combined muffled the singers voice slightly. Ishimaru could still hear the lyrics however:  
~Heey,brother,there's an endless road to rediscover.and heey,sister know the waters sweet,but blood is thicker~  
~hey brother,do you still believe in one another?and heey sister,do you still believe in love I wonder?~  
~woah,if the sky comes falling down,for you,there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do.~  
Ishimaru was amazed at how the singers voice fit the song so well.without warning,he found himself singing along.  
~what if im far from home?~  
~well brother I will hear you call~  
"Hey,what the!!?"  
The music stopped abruptly,followed by a small squeak as the door Ishimaru was leaning against was yanked open.Standing above him was none other than Mondo oowada.He stared down at the coal haired male,surprise,confusion and anger painted across his face.Peeping past him,Ishimaru could see there was no-one else in the room.His head snapped back upwards as he heard mondo's gruff voice.  
"What the fuck are you doing here !!!?"  
suddenly embarrassed,Ishimaru flew to his feet,refusing to look at the taller male.  
"Well?Are ya fuckin ignorin me or what!!?Answer the damn question!!"  
Raising his head slowly,the hall monitor replied in an un-charactaristically quiet voice.  
"I,um,heard music and thought it was strange that someone else was still here.I was just curious.was that you,playing the music?"  
At this,the taller stepped back a little.  
"Me,playing fucking music?! Your off your bloody head!!!"  
Mondo's cheeks were tainted slightly red,showing he was guilty of Ishimaru's accusation.  
"Why am I,there’s nothing wrong with playing music.lots of people do.besides,even if i am'off my head'i can still see the guitar behind your back."  
Aa sound of shock escaped Mondo's throat as he tightened his grip on the neck of the guitar he hid behind him.his mind raced for an excuse,but he found none.He simply hung his head in shame.  
"Fine.It was me.Go ahead and laugh,I know ya wanna."  
Ishimaru looked up at the taller male confused.  
"Why am I supposed to laugh? am I missing something?"  
the two stayed in silence for a second,before Mondo replied,anger spilling out.  
"Course you are!Are you fucking dumb!!? what’s not to laugh at!? Me,the ultimate high-school biker,staying after hours to play a dumb piece of wood.It’s pathetic !!!"  
The words took a second to register,and the shorter male watched the brunette slink off to the other side of the room.He approached cautiously,hoping he wouldn't further aggravate  
the angered biker.He slowly drew up behind him,tapping mondo gently on the shoulder.He whipped around,his pride badly dented by this whole situation.  
"What do you want now?"He muttered venomously,glaring daggers at the hall monitor.  
"All I was going to say is that I don’t think it’s at all pathetic."  
Shock enveloped the taller’s face for the second time.  
"you,don't ?"  
Ishimaru smiled at the bewildered man.  
"Of course not !Like I said before,lots of people play instruments,and I for one think your very good at playing that 'dumb piece of wood' !  
At this,a blush spread across mondo’s cheeks like wildfire. Realising what he just said,Ishimaru too began to blush.he stammered desperately,trying to escape the awkward silence.  
“Of course by that i mean,uh-”  
God he was useless at this.  
“What I’m saying is,you shouldn’t put yourself down about things you enjoy!Now if you’ll excuse me,I have some homework to do!”  
As he turned,he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.  
“H-hey uh,if you want you can ,you know,stay for a while.I mean,you can do your homework here right?only if you want to I mean! ya don’t have to if ya don’t wanna..”  
It was Ishimaru’s turn to be shocked.Had someone just asked him to..hang around? This was new.  
“I’d love to stay,as long as it’s ok with you of course ! Are you sure you really want ME to stay here with you?”  
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it would I?”  
“I suppose not. Very well !”  
Taking a seat,the smaller male began to pull out his homework.It was only a small piece,so it wouldn't take him long.He watched out of the corner of his eye as Mondo retrieved his guitar,tuning it as he made his way back over.The silence was slightly uncomfortable,so Ishimaru decided to break it.  
“So how long have you been playing?”  
“Bout six months.”  
“Only six?it seems like you’ve been practicing for way longer!”  
“Nope,only six.”  
Giving the guitar an experimental strum,Mondo began playing once again.This time it was a different song.as the taller male played,ishimaru began to sway gently to the tune,humming along quietly.This song was a lot gentler,and his companion seemed to really like this song.it was the first time he'd seen him smiling -genuinly. In no time at all,Ishimaru finished his homework,leaving him fully focused on the smooth melody.There was one thing nagging at the back of his mind,which he decided to word.  
“Who taught you to play like this?”  
“I’m self taught.It’s easy as ass once ya get the chords.”  
“Could you teach me? I can play some things on piano,but guitar..”  
“Wait,you play?”  
“ Yes! My father made me learn.”  
“Go on then.”  
“What!?”  
He turned to Mondo,confused,and a little embarrassed.  
“Lets see what ya can do.if your cool with it.you can use the piano.”  
Mondo pointed to an ancient oak piano in the corner. Ishimaru stepped lightly over to its little stool,seating himself in front of it.Doing a little key test,he exhaled deeply,and began to play.The instrument made a deep,calming sound as the keys were gently tapped,producing a sweet rhythm.His face held a look of concentration,that was kind of put off by a peaceful smile that tugged at his face.he kept his attention solely on the keys,not once looking up,only closing his eyes every now and then. Mondo stared in wonder at the others movements.How his slender fingers danced over the keys.How he kept his posture as he played.it was amazing how the once loud and uptight hall monitor was now so quiet and relaxed.he seemed to be enjoying himself!it was impressive,to say the manly least.without even thinking,he began to sway slowly,just as Ishimaru had earlier.Finishing his performance,ishimaru stood from the stool and bowed slightly,a shy smile tugging at his lips.  
“Woah,how come you never go to band?”  
This made the smaller male shrink,his smile gone.  
“I did originally want to,but It would cut into my study time.and to be truly honest.If i messed up,I’d be ridiculed till my dying day.and it would only bring more shame to my family…”  
“Bullshit.”  
Ishimaru looked up,tears forming in his ruby eyes,threatening to spill.  
“E-excuse m-me?”  
“That's bullshit and you know it.I jus saw for myself how good a player ya are.what happened to that shit about don’t put yourself down about things ya enjoy!? I ain’t the sharpest fucker alive,but it’s still damn well obvious ya enjoy playin!I mean,that was the shit,you shouldn’t worry about what those fuckwads think!!”  
The silence hung heavy between them as the words sunk in. was he ….serious? The tears were back,but this time they spilt.A single tear trailed down his cheek as he reran the words in his head.  
Seeing the effect his outburst had,mondo began to freak out.  
“Shit man don’t get upset! I didn’t wanna make ya cry!! Shit ,I fucked up,I-”  
Before he could finish,he felt a weight crash into his chest.he looked down to see the coal headed male wrapping his arms around him in a bear hug.A blush danced across the biker’s face once again as he gently rubbed small circles on the hall monitors back.they stayed like that for a small while,until Ishimaru pushed away,his face a deep crimson,eyes glued to the floor.Mondo simply stood there dumbstruck.the silence suffocated them both,till a voice broke the silent air.  
“W-What was that for??”  
Ishimaru looked up slowly ,eyes redder than usual from crying.  
“I-I dont really K-know.No-one has ever said anything like that.people normally ignore my existence,or bully me for existing.no-one really likes me.I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”  
The poor prefect shuffled nervously,praying for the silence to just swallow him.it didn’t. Mondo was taken aback.  
Was this true?!Jesus what had this poor kid done to think that of himself.he had NO reason to.Despite himself,mono was pissed.He knew the spiteful bastards at this school were bad,but this was just wrong.Sure,Ishimaru was a hardass sometimes,but that was no excuse.If he ever saw someone picking on this kid he was gonna-  
Wait.was he,worried for this kid.he’d hardly even spoken to the guy before this,and yet he felt like he should look out for him.this was so weird…  
Realising how long he’d been silent,he decided to speak up.  
“Hey,don't worry about it.you seem like a good guy,I cant understand why ya beat yourself up so much.Hey,how about a deal?”  
“A deal?”  
“Yeah,why not?If you try out for band,I’ll teach ya how to play guitar.Hell,I might even come along with ya.”  
“R-really?!”  
“Yeah,really.Sound good?”  
The taller stuck out his hand,smiling warmly at the coal haired hall monitor.  
“Sounds great!!”  
Ishimaru smiled,wiping his eyes and happily shaking mondo’s hand.It suddenly ocurred to the two of them what the time was.  
“Aw crap.we better go.”  
“Yes,they may just lock us in if we don’t.”  
With that threat in mind,the two collected their bags. Mondo returned his guitar to a small cupboard behind a poster for safekeeping.Flipping the lights as they went,the two made their way out of the school,chatting animatedly about meeting up for practice after school.At the gate,mondo climbed onto his motorbike and started it up.waving a last goodbye to his new friend,Ishimaru began his short walk home as he heard the bike speed away.


	2. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two new friends have their first practice.

BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!

The bell rang for the end of the day.The students of Hopes Peak piled out of the stuffy classrooms into the warm afternoon air.The breeze disturbed the ancient trees located around school grounds,casting dancing shadows onto the ground and students below.The stream of students thinned out,glad to be greeting the weekend.Among them was Ishimaru.Drawing in a large breath of the warm summer air,he worked on a mental planning schedule for his weekend as he began his treck back to his home.He stepped quickly,lost in daydreams of books and late nights.He was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of a large hand grabbing his jacket.Another hand covered his mouth,dragging him into the shadows of the school.Shaking,the hall moniter tried desperaely to glimpse who it was holding him .Despite his current situation,he didnt cry out,  
for fear of angering the mysterious person.He knew no-one would hear him through the hand tightly clamped over his mouth.No-one was there now.The body pressed against his own back bent forward,slowly removing their hand from Taka's mouth.Taking his opportunity,he spun out of the persons grasp,facing them,glued to the spot from fear and curiosity.He was not expecting his 'friend 'to be standing there.Mondo stared down at the smaller male,a grin tugging at his face.This was returned by a glare of confusion and anger.  
"Geez,you sure are a hard guy to get ahold of."  
The biker chuckled at his own joke.Ishimaru however,was not amused.  
"Oowada Mondo,that was highly irresponsible!You could have simply caught my attention in the halls.There was no need to take getting ahold of me so literally!"  
"What,and draw all that attention.Hell no.I get enough bastards staring at me as it is.Without me yelling in the halls at your dumb ass."  
"You know what I meant Oowada.What could possibly be so improtant anyway?"  
"I was wonderin if ya wanted to go practice.Hey,speaking of which,did ya get a band audition slip? They went out today."  
Ishimaru dug through his bag,revealing a small slip of blue paper with small musical instruments printed on it.He held it up proudly so Mondo could see that it was neatly filled with small,delicate handwriting.  
"I filled out my slip within an hour of receiving it.How about you Oowada kun?!"  
Mondo shoved his hand into his seemingly endless pockets,unveiling an identical slip,with the exception of a few crumpled parts.His however,was incomplete.  
"Snap.Looking at some of the kids who are going for this,I dont even think i'm gonna get in.Hell,my grades are so fuckin bad,i'll probably be banned in a week.Worth  
a shot though eh?"  
"Yes,but with language like that,they wont allow either of us to join.You should really watch your tongue in school!"Taka,mused,folding his arms across his chest.  
"HEY,DONT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!"  
Mondo raised his fist,aiming it at Taka's head.Ishimaru began to step back,fear flashing in his eyes.As quickly as it was raised,the fist dropped back to mondo's side.He grinned,flashing his sharp teeth.  
"Im jus yankin ya leg.Besides,your probably right.But if we want in,we gotta blow them away.Lets go practice.Nothin better to do."  
"What about that homework assignment due monday?"  
"Like I said,nothin BETTER to do!"  
"Oowada kun"  
"Hey,im still gona do it,jus not today.Dont get your tits in a twist."  
"Thats not possible.I'm a guy."  
"Dont worry about it."  
"If ya wanna go ,go.But were gonna need all the help we can get."  
He looked down at the smaller,clapping him on the shoulder.Ishimaru sighed,realizing the other was right.  
"Ok,I am with you on this.lets go and practice."  
"Hey thats the spirit! TEAM!"'  
Mondo raised his fist again,and Ishimaru flinched away from him slightly.He looked up to see an expectant mondo,and he decided to gently tap his 'teammates' fist with his own,hoping he did the right thing.He was greeted by a warm,toothy smile,and a large hand ruffling his hair.  
Nailed it.  
The two turned,heading back into the school.A strange sight to see for anyone who passed,especially on a Friday.But the area was abandoned,so what did it matter?Once inside  
they strode in unison to the room they played in before.As they reached the door,Ishimaru pushed it open and headed straight to the piano.Not far behind is mondo,who heads to the small alcove in the wall where he stashed his guitar.Retreiving it,he twiddled the cogs until he was satisfied that the instrument was properly tuned.Meanwhile Ishimaru rolled the large piano over to where mondo was sitting.Seating himself next to the biker,Ishimaru pulled out his student I.D.They had been upgraded recently to access the internet,to cut down the amount of students skipping homework.A wonderful improvement in Ishimaru's opinion.  
"So,what song would you like to play?I'd suggest a song that has a duet style structure."  
"Good idea bro.How about counting stars?"  
"Yes!That is an excellent suggestion.I shall look up the musical notes for your guitar!"  
"What about you dumbass?"  
"I already know how to play this song.That is why I was so keen on this suggestion!Other than it being a fantastic song that is!"  
"One step ahead.Ok ,you do that."  
Tapping furiously,Ishimaru's fingers dissappeared into a blur as he punched in the command on his search engine.A small ping notified that he had what he needed.Selecting the  
top music sheet,he enlarged the image and set it on the holder of his piano.Seating himself at the instrument,Taka began to warm himself up by playing a few random melodies.  
When he was satisfied,he let out a long breath and began to play.It was a little shaky as he remembered it,but his speed and confidence soon returned.He was like a machine.  
Mondo meanwhile was attempting to master the tune on his own instrument.Every so often one would stop and give the other some advice,or critisism.The occasional praise was  
swapped as well.After what felt like no time at all,the two were playing the song in perfect unison.Even daring to sing small sections of the song.Their expressions were nothing short of happy.  
"Hey bro,lets do a swapping vocals part."  
"Eh"  
" Like this.We both do the first section,same as before.Then I could do this part:I see this life,like a swinging vine,swing my heart across the line"and you do the next bit!"  
"right!:In my face is flashing signs;seek it out and ye shall find"  
"Old,but im not that old"  
"Young,but im not that bold"  
"I dont think the world is sold,"  
"just doing what were told!"  
At this point,Ishimaru had subconsciosly started playing his piano to their singing.Mondo,fell into rhythm,matching the beat.  
"And iiii,fell something so wrong,doing the right thing,"  
"And iiii,feel something so right doin the wrong thing!"  
"(together) I couldnt lie,couldnt lie,couldnt lie,everything that kills me makes me feel alive!"  
The two stopped for a second,before bursting into fits of laughter.  
"That was great!Were gonna smash these auditions!"  
"Agreed!The others will be left in the dust!We'll be the best for sure!"  
"You know it bro! TEAM!"  
The two bumped fists,laughing at their own acheivements.The room was lit like it was ablaze.Golden light bathed the world as the sun set outside.Casting objects in enormous shadows.  
"Hey,we should head off,the sun is setting."  
"So it is.Your right.I wouldnt want to be locked in for the weekend.I doubt event the janitor knows this room exists."  
"Heh,by the state of it,your probably right!"  
Still laughing,the two went about their ritual of replacing instruments and collecting personal belongings.When the room was re-arranged,the two left,closing the door behind them.Speedily making their way through the school,the duo discussed when to meet for practice.  
"How about every other night?Trials are next friday.Sound good?"  
"Yes! Its much better than the original way of meeting up."  
Ishimaru faked a pout ,hinting at the earlier incident.Silence followed,quickly broken by bellowing laughter as the two emerged into the courtyard.  
"Oh,and by the way,heres my number!"  
Ishimaru whipped round to face his partner,holding out a slip of paper with a string of numbers written on it in small writing.He beamed,motioning for the taller to take it.Mondo reached out his hand,taking the slip of paper rather hesitantly.  
"Whats that for?"  
"So you can get ahold of me without giving me a heart attack!"  
"Oh,yeah,right.Good thinking.I'll text ya when I'm home."  
"Excellent!Then we can both text eachover plans.Until monday bro!"  
"Yeah,until monday."  
They parted ways,with a wave.Ishimaru began to wander home,at a slightly more relaxed pace,as Mondo started up his bike.The breeze was cool and sweet against Mondo's face as he tore onto the highway.He had no idea what was going to happen at rehearsels,hell he didnt even count on being let in.but Ishimaru was still optimistic,which was enough inspiration for the biker.His face stretched into a grin.There was always a chance.And he wasn't pussying out,no matter the odds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooh part two! This seems to have been read by a few people,who seem to like it.So i'm continuing it. Sorry this is so darn late!Just as a warning,there may be some triggers in later chapters.
> 
> For anyone wondering,i'm following this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8s4EmFpfYc
> 
> for how they all sound!


	3. locked in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY THIS IS LATE! If you have any suggestions for this story,please let me know!  
> I hope you enjoy the chapter,and thank you for being patient with me!

The time soon came for the next practice.The two decided via text that they would meet every monday, wednesday, and friday, unless something came up.They were to meet  
in the little room after class.Today was no exception.Ishimaru waited eagerly for the end of the day, but he couldnt tell anyone about his practices.As much as he  
loved playing, he didnt want his peers to know.not yet.He sweeped the room with his eyes, hoping his unusual excited fidgeting hadn't tipped anyone off.No one seemed  
too interested.Finally, sweet relief came in the form of a large blast from the bell.Ishimaru loved his studies, he really did, but he was so excited to practice  
some more.To be the best he could be.He'd spent half his weekend polishing his playing skills,and he even practiced singing in the shower.Though he'd never  
admit he used a comb as a microphone.never.  
Making his way out of algebra, he turned a sharp left and began to beeline towards the music room, never slowing his pace.

*view swap*

Monday once again.Mondo didn't understand why he even still went to school.He'd much rather be on his bike.But Daiya made him stay in school, so he could at  
least get an apprenticeship when he's older.That, and He had practice after school today.He smiled slightly, thinking of his bro,and him, smashing the competition with  
their killer audition.Imbetween patrols and meetings with the crazy diamonds, and helping daiya round the house, Mondo had been practicing, desperately trying to nail  
the chords.He always practiced well out of the way of his gang,and his brother.It'd kill him if they found out.He kept a spare guitar hidden under his bed at home,where  
Daiya wouldn't find it.He was kinda freaked about screwing it up,but his 'manly'pride refused to allow him to admit it.He was no wimp,after all.He sat back in his chair,  
feet on the table as usual.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang, freeing him from the boredom of business studies.He kicked back his chair and grabbed  
his satchel,swinging round the corner to the right,striding down to the tiny music room.

The door swang open,banging against the wall. In the doorway stood Mondo,waving a greeting at ishimaru,who was already warming up at his piano.The taller man walked over to  
Ishimaru,ruffling his hair as he carried on past to his small hidey hole.Guitar in hand,he wandered back to the piano,seating himself opposite his friend.Strumming his guitar,  
Mondo hummed the tune of the song as he got into the rhythm of it.Ishimaru joined in without hesitation,matching the speed and volume of the biker.The pair played together,  
getting into the swing of the rhythm.They had both memorised every dip, swing, and beat of the song.  
And then they began to sing.

Have you ever felt like you and another person were perfectly in sync?felt like even your heartbeats were pounding in time,that your every movement was being mirrored by your  
twin from another star? That is the only way to describe the scene that was unfolding in the small room.The air was filled with a sweet, upbeat melody, perfectly timed.  
The barren halls of the school throbbed with every note,the music flowing round the building as if it were water,drowning out everything.  
The pair were consumed with their parts,singing and playing.The hours ticked by,going unnoticed as the two continued to run through every piece they knew,laughing and joking imbetween.  
They lost track of the world around them,lost in the music.so much so that neither noticed the door to the room being slid shut.

"click"  
The small,unfamiliar noise caught the attention of ishimaru,who stopped in his tracks.his head snapped towards the door when he heard the unmistakable sound of a key being turned  
in a lock.  
He was out of his seat in a flash.slamming his fists against the door,screaming,trying to alert the janitor that they were in there.but to no avail.Mondo was up at this point,  
banging on the door and roaring his lungs out.Deep down they knew it was no use.The janitor always wore his headphones,he wouldnt hear them.Defeated,taka began to panic,  
sliding down the door into a small ball,his breathing rapidly increasing.He hunched up even tighter when he felt mondo slam his fist against the door.His fearful whimpers  
grew in volume,causing the biker to bend down,concern spreading across his face,replacing every trace of anger.  
"Hey,calm down!We'll get out,cool it!"  
he shook the hall monitors by the shoulders,who flinched away further.raising his teary eyes,he looked right at his friend.  
"How?! The door is locked,and we cannot get out!!"  
"Hey,what about the window?"  
Their gaze shifted to the windows set into the walls.Sliding his finger along the panes,mondo searched for a latch.Nothing.  
"Uh,plan b."  
"we could try picking the lock on the door?"  
"umm... with what?"  
Looking around,there were no real items that could even come close to fitting in the small lock.Things were looking pretty bleak.The room slowly began to cool,the temperature dropping  
slowly.The last slithers of pink were dissapearing into the grey sky.The news predicted a storm today.  
"Could we contact anyone on our student ID's?They do connect to the internet."  
A small flicker of hope flashed in taka's eyes.pulling out his ID with slightly shaky hands,he attempted to connect to the internet.No signal.Then it dawned on his.The wifi was shut off  
when the school closed for the day.judging by the time,the wifi went off half an hour earlier.How long had they been playing?!  
"I-I'm afraid that suggestion is fruitless also."  
The tears were trailing down his face now, the fear and despair cracking the barriers that held them back.The room seemed to be closing in,  
trapping them.He swiped at his face,failing to stop the stream.He slid the small device back into his bag,tucking his knees up to his chest again.His parents were certain  
to be worrying by now."mother will be furous"He thought,his ruby eyes cloudy,staring at nothing.  
Mondo made his way back to his friend,silent as a ghost.He couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.After all, it was partially his fault.He crouched in front of the hall monitor,who was wrapped in  
a small,shaking ball against the unyeilding door.Raising his hand,mondo caught the smaller males chin, lifting it tentively.He smiled a warm smile,trying to boost his bro's spirits.  
"Hey, its not all bad.At least we have more practice time now."  
Ishimaru looked up,his eyes glittering in the dying light.He unrolled himself from his position,putting on a stern face.  
"Yes ,whilst this is true,what of or families?! They will surely be worried!"  
"Well,my brother isnt home right now anyway.he had to go out of town with the diamonds."  
"Yes,but what about my family!"  
"Well,if they ask tomorrow where you were,tell them you stayed the night round a friends.That you didnt tell them caus your phone died."  
The hall monitor stared at the floor,thinking over his reply.  
"Yes,i suppose that would work.But what do you propose we do tonight?We have school tomorrow,the room is already getting cold due to the storm,and we dont have much in the way of things such as  
food or bedding."  
"Well,the food part ain't a problem."  
Standing,mondo dug out a bag from his satchel.It it were three rolls.they were slightly overcooked,but they were still food.  
"This should do.made em in food tech today.here,take one."  
He held out the bag,offering the bread to taka.He took it willingly,biting into the crusty roll.A smile spread across his face once again at the taste of the bread.He forgot to eat today,so this was long overdue.  
Taking a roll for himself,Mondo slumped down next to ishimaru.They ate in silence for about five minutes,splitting the third roll between them.When the food was gone,Ishimaru sat there,satisfied and slightly  
less worried.  
"Taht is much better,now the only thing we need to tackle is sleeping arrangements.I say we split and search the room,we'll surely find something!"  
"Thats the spirit.good idea.ill take this end,you take that one."  
Nodding,they went to their seperate ends.They searched the cupboards until there was a triumphant yell from taka.He ran to mondo,carrying an enormous bundle of cloth.He dropped it at the bikers feet,beaming.  
"Oowada kun,look what i found!Its curtain material,very thick! It will surely prove sufficient for a blankets!  
Picking up a sheet,ishi pulled it around himself,to prove his point.to the surprise of mondo,he did a little happy jig,using the cloth as a cape as he mimicked the shape of a plane.His fear had been erased by their  
ability to obtain items for the night.Picking up a large piece of the cloth,mondo copied his bro,except, instead of a plane, he pretended to be a vampire.Flashing his sharp teeth and talking in a heavy translyvanian  
accent.Ishimaru couldn't stop himself from laughing at his bro's antics.In no time,the two were laughing like hyena,their predicament forgotten.this seemed more like aa away from home sleepover.Not that they'd admit it.  
sleepovers are for girls.

After twenty more minutes of scavenging,the pair found more cloth,some old piano seat cushions,and a few stands for music sheets.They constructed a tent from the items,sliding under with their sheets,satchels,and ID's.  
The room was dark now,the dim light from the screens just illuminating the room.The time was now eight o clock.

Their tent in place,the dark shrouding the room,the two huddled up in their makeshift blankets,talking,and swapping stories.  
“So,wadda ya wanna be when your’e older?A performer?”  
“No,in fact,i would like the be an mp!It has been a dream of mine since i as small.and you?”  
“I plan on an apprenticeship,hopefully in carpentry.”  
“Huh,i never thought you were the type!”  
“What about your family,they want ya to do anythin?”  
“My parents want me to have a successful career,so nothing fun.How about your amily?I bet they have plans for you too.”  
“Yeah,my bro is always on my ass about doing well in school.He’s a good guy,though sometimes he can be a di-”  
A loud clap of thunder broke his sentence off.the two sat there,stunned by mother nature’s censoring.This did not last.They were overcome by laughter,just from the sheer timing.  
“Well that escalated quickly!Hey,you wanna play a game?”  
“What kind of game?”  
“We each pick three classmates.We then have to do our impressions of them.if the other person can’t guess,you lose a point.best of three.You in?”  
“Sounds like a good idea,may I start?”  
“Knock yourself out.”  
Ishimaru sat up,putting on a face that made him look like he was on another planet.He held out his ,pretending to hold a circular object.  
“Dude,i fortold i would like totally win this game,my spirit friends told me man.Im right 30% of the time braw.”  
“Holy shit,your hagakure!Bro that was spot on!”  
“Thank you.”  
“My turn .prepare your mind.”  
This time,mondo crossed his arms,scowled,and straightened his back.He sniffed,looking away from taka like he had insulted him.  
“Would you mind not staring peasent?its ruining my day having to be near you.I’ll have to shower in money when I get home to remove the thought of your face.”  
Ishimaru slapped a hand over his mouth,letting out a loud snort.when he calmed down,he pointed a finger at mondo.  
“That was an excellent impression of byuka togami!Im sure thats how he would react!Ok ,i’ll get you this time!”  
Straightening his back,he sat cross legged,staring at his shoes.He made little,repetitive hand movements,like he was stroking the air.He chose not to say anything,so as to make it even harder.  
“Ugh,i dunno,ibuki?looks like your strumming there?”  
“Incorrect! I was pretending to be Ghundam tanaka! You see,i was stroking my little divas of destruction! Looks like i’m one ahead!”  
A triumphant smile spread across his face as the realisation hit his friend.He wiggled in his seat,doing a tiny celebration dance.  
“Ok smart guy,i’ll get you for that.Hmm,let me think.Oh thats good.If you guess this,i’ll eat my shoe.”  
He sat up on his knees,shaking both his hands together,next to his head.He swung them,Striking an invisible target.looking upwards,he shielded his eyes ,like he hit something to the moon itself.A small,petite smile formed,as he sat back down,hands in his lap.  
“Go on the hotshot,have a crack.”  
“I would like to guess that was leon kuwata? You swung,and seemed awfully proud.”  
“NOPE! Hah ,knew that would get ya! You weren’t even close!”  
Ishimaru was a little shocked that he was mistaken,but his smile only wavered for a moment.  
“Do tell,who were you?”  
“You won’t believe this,that was celes! Who would have thought she’s good at those strength test hammer things.that bell rings every time!”  
“Well,you had me fooled.It seems were tied.i’ll have to closely observe my classmates abilities more often! I believe it’s my turn again.”  
“Sure is.”  
“Ok then!Good luck”  
Scrunching into himself,taka crossed his arms ,pouting.All of a sudden,a creepy,childish grin spread onto his face.He made a high pitched giggle,repeatedly pushing his index finger tip into the carpet.  
“Oh,toughie.Ugh,naegi?you look like your nervously tapping things and laughing.”  
“No! I was saonji! nShe has a strange obsession with killing ants,and gets upset if you call her out on it.I knew that would fool you!”  
“Hey,good one.Don’t make a habbit of making a fool of me though.My turn”  
“Yes.your final go.”  
Mondo sat bolt upright,a small smile,matched with slightly out of it eyes,graced his features.He looked about franticly,muttering the word hope under his breath.He looked straight at taka with huge eyes,and simply added  
“Where is Hinata kun?”  
That was it.Ishimaru lost it,laughter ringing around the room like water in a tank.Tears streamed down his cheeks,as he clutched his stomach,laughing so hard it hurt.Mondo laughe too,knowing ishimaru had guessed.  
When they calmed down,mondo leaned over with a cheshire grin,already knowing the answer to his question.  
“So,who was that?”  
Ishimaru looked at him,still red from laughing,a matching grin on his face.  
“That was definetly Nagito Komeada.Who won?”  
“seems like I won."  
Just as the state ment left his lips,a wave of worry hit Mondo.Oh shit,was this kid gonna get upset he lost?!Eyes darted towards the hallmonitor,looking for any signs of tears.  
But instead of getting upset,Taka smiled.AN enormous,warm,geniune smile graced his lips,and Mondo let out an inaudible sigh of relief.  
"Congratulations oowada kun!I think its time we turned in for the evening."  
The temperature had dropped continously,and Ishimaru was shivering from the cold.  
He must only have that thin jacket on .  
Nodding his head in agreement,Mondo grabbed his cloth sheet ,settling down right next to Taka.The tent did not provide them with room to space out,but Mondo really couldn't complain.The fact that they were so close together meant that they were both warmer.  
The brunettes eyes drifted to his friends small form.His ruby eyes closed,a small smile on his lips,he was the definition of peace.His usually spiked back hair had fluffed up,strands hanging down over his forehead.The only thing wrong was that he was shaking uncontrollably.His breathing slowed,showing that,despite the temperature,he had dozed off.Mondo slipped off his jacket,placing it over the raven headed boys smaller form,before laying down again,to join his friend in sleep.


	4. morning awakenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wakey wakey boys

Ishimaru's eyes fluttered open, a warm hazy glow reaching his ruby orbs. Gently raising himself from his nest of curtains, He looked blearily around, recalling why he was sleeping in such a place. The previous day came back in a stream of memories, and he smiled at the antics they had the previous evening. Looking around, the hall monitor got caught sight of his bro. He was laying about a half a foot away, blanket draped over his lower half, sleep gathered at the edge of his eyes. The mans famous hairstyle was down, framing his face in bleached curls. His lips were tainted blue from the cold of the previous night, his bare shoulders still visibly shaking. Ishimaru looked about, confused. Where was Mondo's jacket? He had it on when they had gone to sleep, could he have discarded it? The raven haired boy went to pull off his sheets, when he noticed a second covering, wrapping his frame. Pulling it from himself, and holding it out, his brain registered the delicate golden embroidery, And the infamous symbol of the crazy diamonds. Mondo's jacket. His whole face heated up, as he speedily thrusted it away from himself. In doing so, he knocked the music stands,bringing the makeshift tent to the ground.  
A sleepy groan was heard from the cloth bundle next to him, the noise and destruction of the tents collapse waking the sleeping biker. Ishimaru prepared to be yelled at  
when what was the roof was pulled violently away, in the bikers attempts to escape the cloth prison. The shouting voice never came however. Just a loud laugh. The sound cut the air, crisp and joyful. The smaller boy rolled over, to see his friend sitting up, smiling face bathed in the morning rays of sun, which where filtering through the dusty windows. The panes of glass were speckled with water, the shadows of the liquid projected onto Mondo's skin like tattoos. His bleached curls were swinging over his face, in a last desperate attempt to stay in shape. Ishimaru felt a smile returning to his face, at the sight of his friend. Reaching for the jacket, he attempted to hand it back to its owner. Unfortunatly, Mondo got his hand to it first. Their hands met at the same time, both after the same thing. Looking up at each other, They smiled awkwardly, Ishimaru retracting his hand at the speed of light.  
"Morning broski, you sleep well?"  
"Yes thank you, I did. And you? You look cold."  
"Nah, I'm fine! Little cold can't get me ,no way."  
"Mondo you are shaking."  
"I'm just waking up, its normal."  
"Whatever you say, you goof."  
He watched his friend pull on his jacket, hoping that Mondo would warm up. His friend was a lot of things, A good liar was NOT one of them.  
"Hey,what's the time?"  
Ishimaru wasn't sure. He leant over to get his ID, reading the tiny digital clock. It read 7:30.  
"Ah, it is half seven. We should be getting ready for school soon."  
"Ah,thanks. Not that there's much we CAN do. I spose My hair needs some gel-"  
"I wouldn't say so! Perhaps you could put it up a new way today?"  
"Why, whats wrong with my normal hair?!"  
"Nothing, I just think it would look really nice in a ponytail, or a style like that! You look good with your hair down Oowada kun!"  
The biker looked at his beaming friend, flustered,but fighting to keep his cool.  
"T-thanks,maybe you're right. You got a rubber band or something?"  
"Why yes, I also have hair bobbles too! In case a girl needs them for our scientific studies. Would you prefer to use one of those?"  
"Yeah, that would be better. Cheers dude."  
Ishimaru pulled a red band out of his pocket, gesturing for his friend to turn away from him. Mondo reluctantly obeyed, facing the glass panes. Just as Ishimaru drew back his friends hair, they both heard a soft click, coming from the door.  
"Was-"  
"-That-"  
"The door?"  
To answer their question, the door sloped open, the entry way blocked by the short figure of the janitor. His podgy face went white when he noticed them, his trademark headphones sliding straight off his head. He tried to stutter words, as did the shocked boys. Mondo managed to choke out a "We got locked in!!" through the silence. The janitor just stood, looking like he was completely lost in all this. When the words registered, he looked at both boys fearfully, and beckoned for them to come over. They obeyed, stooping down slightly to be at his level.  
"Please don't tell anyone about this, I really need this job!"  
Was he kidding? That was all he was worried about?! This asshole locked two kids in a school, and he was worried about his own ass! Mondo growled, stepping forward. His fists were clenched tightly, ready to punch this guys lights out. Ishimaru saw this, swinging his arm out to block the bikers path. This earned him a look, which he simply swept off.  
"Its okay, we promise not to tell, If, you give us the shower key."  
The man looked startled,scratching the back of his neck nervously.  
"I-I can't do that!"  
Both boys fixed him with a cold look,staring him down.  
"Oh really, would you prefer I move my arm out of his way? Or perhaps inform the headmaster that you locked two students in an unheated school during a storm,overnight?"  
A dangerous glint could be seen in Ishimaru's eyes, as he stood tall, towering over the man. He opened his outstretched hand, counting down each finger slowly.  
"You have until I run out of fingers. If I were you, I'd make a decision."  
The man seemed to shrink even further, his fear shrunken pupils taking in the three remaining fingers on his timer, and the sinister grin they were holding back. He dug his hand into his pocket, swinging the keys at the boys so hard they would have reached the far corner of the room if they had not been caught. Ishimaru flicked them forward again, catching them by the little metal ring. Swinging them backward and forward, he removed his arm, a smile returning to his face.  
"Good to see we came to an agreement! Your secret is safe with us!"  
And with that, the two simply turned, collected their things, and walked right past the still shaken janitor.  
~Time skip~  
"Hey, oowada! How come you got your hair up all different dude, It ain't like you. You sick or something?"  
Mondo turned, facing the way his friend, Leon, was running towards him. A smile stretched across his face, at his bro's sarcasm.  
" Nah, I got told I look good with my hair down. "  
"Ah, you got a girl on ya hands dude? "  
"Heh, nah, nothing like that. Just a friend."  
"Whatever you say. God you're a bad liar. I know its damn cold, but that blush is a little too much. But, who am I to judge?"  
He laughed, punching the biker on the arm. They continued to the gate, leaving the school for the evening. Walking, just a little way behind, was Ishimaru.He smiled gently, feeling the rapidly cooling air on his face. The evenings were getting colder, a time when people made it their goals to be indoors as early as possible. But not him. He liked it. It had such a calming effect, after what had been a harsh day. And as he wandered home, he couldn't help but feel happy, that his life had become so good. For now anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late I'm sorry aaahhhhhh I'll update more often I sweaaarrrrr  
> Thank you for being patient with me,and if there are any ideas you would like to see,i'd love to ear them!  
> Thanks for reading,and have a great day!


	5. panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where...is Ishimaru?

wednesday rolled about with its usual mid week charm.Not quite over,not quite started.The students were often more relaxed at this point in the week, the knowledge that their week was parted nestled in their heads. The sound of mild chatter was common, as they never really did much in class anyway. Mondo really couldn't see the actual point of coming to school in the first place. He only stuck around caus of Daiya. Wait, that wasn't true. He came into school to see Ishimaru too. Speaking of which, where was the guy? It was unheard of for him to be later than thirty minutes early to class, yet as the twenty minute mark came speeding up period one, there was no sign of him. The air seemed unsettlingly hollow without the interjection of his voice, booming at the other students' antics. Mondo felt his patience wearing away slowly. How long was this guy gonna be gone? worry bubbled in his head, but the biker tried to drown it out by tapping his pencil against the desk. This only worked to agitate him further, so he simply stopped. The brunette fiddled with the sheets on his desk, occupying himself with something, anything that would layer over the knot forming in his stomach. Though he tried to fill his head with thoughts, one kept floating back up.  
Where...is Ishimaru?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bell had just rung for the end of first period, and the hall monitor had still not put in an appearance. Now more people than just Mondo had noticed. As the students made their way to the next class, Mondo was halted by an anxious tug on his sleeve. Lowering his gaze, he saw the wide brown eyes of Fujisaki, looking straight back.  
"Oh, hey chihiro, what's up?"  
"Have you seen Ishimaru today? No one I've asked has, and frankly, I'm a little concerned."  
"Well, can't say I've seen him either. Lemme shoot him a text and we'll see eh?"  
As he said it, the biker pulled his phone from his pocket, homing straight in on the pre saved contact for Ishimaru. Tapping into the messaging board, he shot him a quick text;

HEY BRO,WHERE ARE YA? PEOPLE ARE THINKING YOU DIED OR SOMETHING,GET BACK TO ME OK? WE'RE ALL WORRIED-MONDO

He tilted the phone, showing the screen to Chihiro in confirmation. At that they seemed to brighten a little, the worry on their face dropping.  
"Thank you oowada! Let me know if he replies okay?"  
"No problem kiddo, can do."  
With an affectionate ruffle of their hair, Mondo watched as Chihiro ran ahead to catch up to Leon. The rest of the walk to class was uneventful, Ishimaru still nowhere in sight, Mondo's phone lying still in the pocket of his jacket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Thirty minutes. Forty five. Time dragged by so slowly, Mondo was certain the clock must have been broken, or slow at least. Still, with each aching minute, there was no addition to the voices in the class. No serious apologies for such tardiness. Not a single sign of Taka. This was getting stupid. He was always in by now. Without fail. Something must be wrong. Oh god what if he's hurt, or sick, oh god,or worse....  
No. Mondo shook his head, like the action would catapult the thoughts from his head. He was being stupid. All this worrying over one kid having a day off. So what? It was freezing out still, it wouldn't surprise him if the poor kid had caught a cold. Everyone had to have one day...  
but still. This was the SHSL Moral compass. It was practically impossible for him to have a day off without having withdrawal. So, a cold would hardly stop him....so it must be something else? No. He knew he was being stupid. But there was still that heavy feeling that there was something wrong. He seemed fine yesterday, it just wasn't right.

Then his phone rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy into the darkness we drop  
> all aboard the angst train
> 
> Once again, I'm so sorry for my hiatus. I know its been a long time, but I kinda abandoned this when I began my GCSE'S in September. However, I am getting to grips now, so my promised updates shall be rearing their heads once again!  
> As per always, if there are any scenarios you would like to see in this fic, please let me know!


	6. Where are you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day passes slower than usual...

But there was still that heavy feeling that there was something wrong. He seemed fine yesterday, it just wasn't right.

Then his phone rang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mondo had never moved for his cell so fast.The screen was still illuminated from the message symbols arrival,the little letter floating on the phone's display. He swiped over it without hesitation opening the long awaited notification. To be sorely disappointed. It was just a message from Daiya telling him the gang were all home. It was great news, After all, he loved his brother dearly. However, it wasn't the news he was hoping to see. Slumping back in his chair, the biker released a lung of air he had no idea he was holding. This was stupid. This is STUPID! He's been gone all day. There must be something wrong. There has to be. He never ignores a text message. Ever. This is bad. God he was overreacting. This guys been on his damn mind all day. Why, he had no idea. Mondo began to wonder if they would be able to practice today. Its the final one too, surely he wouldn't skip. Nah, no way, not if he has any say. Ishimaru never missed a practice. He never missed ANYTHING. So, maybe, he didn't have a hand in this? What if his absence was caused by someone else? Jesus, he knew how trusting Taka was, he could be in trouble easy. His thought flashed back to the night he'd grabbed Taka outside the school. He'd been like a startled rabbit. No way in hell could he fight against someone who meant him harm.and if he wasn't answering his phone then-

"Dude, you okay? You been staring at that desk for like, half an hour? The dick carvings can't be that intricately captivating can they? Jeez, your hell phased out today eh?"  
The pair of fingers clicking in front of his eyes pulled him out of his panic room thought process, and Mondo seemed almost surprised that there were people around him at all. Jesus, how long had he been like this? Damn, class was almost finished. The teacher looked like he gave up half a class back. Not that he could blame the poor bastard. The class of kids around him seemed more engrossed in their own conversations than the rather useless language structure work on the board. Mondo's gaze followed the retracting fingers to his left, to see an amused Leon. The grin on his face was slightly accusatory, god knows what of. Before he could try to think of the question behind the expression, leon phrased it for him.  
"So, your phone went off."  
"Oh, it did?"  
Chihiro poked their head round Leon, their eyes also now trained on Mondo. He was starting to think he had something on his face.  
" Who was it? A girl? You didn't seem awful gleeful about it. You just sank into vegetable mode."  
"Was it a reply from Ishimaru? "  
"Nah, it wasn't. It was my brother. He just messaged me to say he was home. He's been gone for a while with the gang, ya know?"  
"Oh, that's good news! Say hello to him from me!"  
"Sure thing Chihiro, I'll pass that on."  
"So wadda ya want a text from Ishimaru for?"  
Chihiro nudged their classmate on the arm, butting in to answer.  
"He's been gone all day, and that's not like him at all. We were worried, so Oowada messaged him to check up on him. We've had no reply so far though."  
"Oh, yeah right! I thought it was quiet! Hope the dudes ok, lemme know if he gets back to ya."  
" Sure thing kuwata."  
And with that, the bell rang, freeing the students up for break session. As they all filed outside into the cold frosted air, Mondo couldn't help his thoughts drifting back to his absent bro.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day passes just the same, the worry slowly rising in the bikers chest, threatening to drown him, or worse, spill out. He keeps it under control-just- but every glance at his vacant lock screen panics Mondo a little more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bell for the end of school finally rings. With no hall monitors-or messages- in sight. Mondo's hope had began to die, fear growing in the cracks it left in his expression. He could only hope that Ishimaru would magically show up at practice, or he'd just have to go home and worry all night, praying his bro would be in the next day. On his way to their meet up point, he decided to stop off at the guys restroom. He may be a panicked ball of teenage anxiety on the inside , but he'd be damned if his looks showed it.

Shoving open the door to the bathroom, he began to pull out his comb from his pocket when he felt his phone vibrate against his hand. He wearily pulled the device out, thinking it was his brother telling him to grab some food on his way home or something.Pressing the button, Mondo was greeted with a well lit screen,the little letter reading;

ONE (1) NEW MESSAGE FROM:ISHIMARU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Two chapters in one day, yikes. They are a little shorter right now, as I have no ideas where I'm going with this, yet I do-if that makes sense. So, while updates will be shorter, they will be more common too.  
> I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading~


	7. Final Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There he is

Mondo almost dropped the still bright device in his hand. The ocean of worry that had drowned his common sense was evaporating at the speed of usane bolt on steroids. There was no dramatic kidnapping, he hadn't died. His bro was ok. His panicking was unwarranted, and admittedly stupid. Ok, very stupid. Ridiculously stupid. He'd have to slam his head in a door later to jar his brain from the dead. But for now, he was gonna see where Taka had been all day. Sliding his thumb across the screen, the message unlocked.

HELLO BROTHER.I AM SORRY TO HAVE CAUSED CONCERN, MY ABSCENCE TODAY WAS UNUSUAL, AND I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT TELLING YOU SOONER.MEET ME AT PRACTISE. I WILL NOT PERMIT MYSELF TO MISS THAT TOO.

Mondo reread the message over again. There was no explanation as to where he had been, but at least he knew that his friend was there now. Sat patiently in the classroom they seemed to have claimed. Waiting for his late ass. Swiping his deflating hair style down, he decided to pull it back in a ponytail. It was easier than re-gelling it, and honestly, the look was growing on him. Though he would need to re-bleach it soon. Didn't wanna look to much like big bro...  
Throwing a finger gun at his reflection, He strode out of the dingy bathroom, the sun itself in his smile. Everything was fine now, thank god. Well, not everything, there was still war, death and hatred in the world. But those factors had not been bouncing up and down on his sanity all day like five year olds at a birthday party. So they could be pushed aside. Barrelling down the hall, turning with all the grace of a formula one car he reached their usual hidey-hole. The door swung open, almost cracking the plaster where it hit the wall. And there, nestled in the corner, was his bro. Smiling at him, without a care in the world.

That smile was infectious, it wormed into your brain. Mondo felt this effect of it as he made his way over, compressing his joy born from a day of worrying down from a bone crushing hug to a friendly hair tussle. He kept that smile on his face at the sound of the giggle his action caused, its appearance holding strong the entire time he was retrieving his instrument. The poster hiding his little wall hide fluttered back into place like it knew the routine.When he sat down, he made sure he was close to his friend. And that's how they stayed. Sat together, warming up with a blanket of silence between them that shut out any questions that may have tried to intrude.  
Until they did.

His guitar was tuned, but he couldn't help fiddling with it a little longer. He knew that if he stopped he might ask something he wasn't sure how he felt about finding the answer to.Though he'd been asking it all day, he didn't want it put to rest by his friends words. The silence seemed better. Safer even. But that silence couldn't last forever, and he knew it. Hopefully it could hold for just a little longer...

"So, what did I miss in class today kyouda?"  
-shit-  
"Ah, not much, you can borrow my notes if it bothers ya so much."  
-How the fuck do I get outta this?!!?!-  
"Ah, thank you kyouda! You never normally take notes, why did that change? Not that its a bad thing!"  
-Maybe it won't come up-  
"I just thought you'd appreciate it. Its not like you to miss anything."  
-FUCK-  
"...yes. It is..."  
-F U C K-  
"So, uh, wadda ya say we get down to business huh? Last meetup and everything?"  
"Yes, lets practice!!" -save...-

 

~~~~TIME SKIP~~~~

"That run was great!! Best one yet for sure!"  
"I have to agree, you didn't miss a single beat, on point as always!"  
"Hey, can't say you were too shabby either. I can't believe how good that sounded man!!"  
" Me either, I feel that we have truly mastered this one!"  
"Hell yeah! Up top!!"  
"Up top!!"  
Jumping up from their seats, the two high fived over their success. It was true that this run had been the best by far, and the knowledge of that seemed to give them stronger wings than a pigeon at a redbull festival. They were good, and they damn well knew it. Now all they had to do was show off to the club members. 

"Hey, I just wanna say, whatever happens at the audition, I think that was the shit. I'm pretty proud of it, whatever they think of us."  
Ishimaru looked up, staring at his bro , his words taking a second to register. All he could think of was to nod, smiling idly to himself at the comment. Though it did matter full well what "they" thought, it was nice to hear that no matter what, his practice was appreciated by someone.  
"Yes, I can agree, but please watch your language. I will be very proud of this, no matter what. But, that will not prevent me from giving my best tomorrow!"  
" Heh, yeah, I know. You always go 110% , all the time. No worries, I'm fighting this thing out till the end. A man never gives up, right?"  
"Right!"  
The pair fell silent again, unusually unsure of what they should talk about. There was still that one question hanging above them like a banner, advertising a fair no one wanted to attend. It stayed there for several minutes, flapping hazardously rom the breaths of the rooms occupants. Ishimaru decided he didn't like the silence, and gently tapped out a little tune on the instrument beneath his fingers. Though it took a second to remember the correct keys, the song began to melt through the air like butter. He smiled to himself, the words that accompanied the tune scrolling in his head. Though he only glanced up every little while, he couldn't miss his friends eyes following his every move. Lilac pupils flickering over his hands, his face; his smile. The song ground to a gentle halt, silence taking no mans land once again. 

And so they sat. Quietly fiddling with their instruments, hoping the other would say something, anything. The air is thick, a blanket on a hot evening indoors. Uncomfortable, and unwanted. It didn't seem to want to leave either: Until something made it.

The phone in Mondo's pocket shook violently, its loud notification sound alerting him to a new message's arrival. Ishimaru gave him a disapproving look, that hinted at "Has that been on sound all day?" but he left it at that. Mondo fished the offending device out of his pocket, swiping the screen into his message board. The text was from Daiya. His eyes scanned the letters slowly, smiling as he understood each new word. The little hall Monitor didn't want to pry, so he (barely) held himself back from looking at the screen over the bikers shoulder.  
"Who is it?"  
Despite himself, Mondo jumped a tiny bit at the sound right at his ear. Not that he'd admit that. Swivelling in place, he grinned at his friend , holding up the device again. Red eyes scanned the text, reading it aloud under his breath.

HEY LITTLE BRO  
GUESS WHAT? THE BOYS DECIDED THEY WANNA CELEBRATE TONIGHT,  
YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. BRING A FRIEND IF YA LIKE.  
MAYBE WE'LL GET TO MEET THAT MYSTERY KID YOU ALWAYS TELL ME ABOUT?  
SEE YA SOON KIDDO

The hall monitor blinked slowly, the words absorbing into his skull. Celebrate? To him, a celebration was a large festival, a parade, or calendar events such as Christmas. He knew there were other versions of a celebration, but he had never experienced them himself. Despite this, a reasonable part of his brain told him this is NOT what the message was implying. And he couldn't quite grasp why Kyouda was so excited about it. Nonetheless, he smiled back at his friend, searching slightly for a hint to the reason for his smile in the taller's expression. He found none. Mondo seemed to pick up on this, but he knew Ishimaru could be delicate about admitting his confusion. Instead of straight up asking what he was doing, Mondo somehow widened his grin, clapping The hall monitor on the shoulder.  
"So bro, we've worked pretty hard on this, so I think we should celebrate too. Ya feel like a little party?"

To tell the truth, Ishimaru felt like a huge party. His face lit up like a lantern, eyes practically glowing with giddy happiness at the invite. No one had ever willingly invited him to anything, but the fact that this was a celebration for him and his best friend, to feel good about a small victory they had achieved; that just made it that bit more special.

To stop this long explanation from tearing out his throat, he simply clamped his mouth shut and nodded so hard he though his head would come loose. He wouldn't have cared if it had. Mondo seemed to brighten at the action, laying his arm across his bros shoulders as a loud laughter roared from his own throat.  
"Alright, Its on!"  
Ishimaru chilled down for a second, a look of remembrance crossing over his eyes. Before Mondo could ask what was up, Taka yanked out his own phone, punching in the message he wanted into the little device. He sent it with a swipe, and a few seconds later a little whistle signalled a response. Normally, the biker would question who responded to texts that quickly, but he was too busy wondering what Taka was doing. A triumphant little noise rose from Taka, and he swung around, shoving the now dark phone back into his bag.  
"Alright, lets go!"  
"Sure, what was that all about?"  
"I was asking my parents if it was alright for me to go."  
"Offff course you were. Right, got your stuff?"  
"Yes!"  
"Then lets go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy this'll be fun. A loud rule freak in a room full of bike riding badasses. Hold onto your helmets guys.
> 
> Anywho, new chapter! The next should be popping up valentines day, so lets see what that will entail shall we? ~  
> As always, thank you so much for reading! <3
> 
> Ps: The little tune Ish played was "Paint the World" By Airto


	8. The party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party is a great place to meet new friends

Side by side, the two made their way down the familiar halls, chattering about everything and nothing. The janitor saw them, pausing to watch them speed past. Mondo shot him a wink, causing the poor man to shrink away and return to cleaning that rather interesting floor tile.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction, as he continued down to the entrance and out the doors. Sooo predictable

~~~~~~~Time skip~~~~~~~~

"So, where is the party? "  
"Its a half an hour walk from here"  
"oh"  
Ishimaru glanced up at the slowly darkening sky, audibly gulping.  
"But, its only a ten minute bike ride"  
"bike......ride?"  
Oh. The motorbike. Of course. How the hell did he forget that Mondo drove a bike?? That was literally his tag!  
"Umm, you ok there bro?"  
Mondo waved in front of the unresponsive hall monitor. He snapped up straight, eyes pulling into ruby focus.  
"Yes, fine, absolutely!"  
"Aight, here she is."  
The 'she' Mondo referred to was a gorgeous Kawasaki bike, its outer shell glinting in the disappearing sunlight. It rose above hip height, the leg holding it up, a thick chain wrapped through and around one wheel, anchoring it to the bike rack that was bolted in the ground beside it. Mondo's eyes seemed to gleam when they came to see it, and Ishimaru had a suspicion that was not due to the light. Striding up to the vehicle, Mondo Slipped a small key he seemed to have pulled from nowhere into the hefty lock on the chains. Unwinding the metal links, he eventually pulled the lot free from the bike, laying them in his backpack. Digging past the chain, the bikers lower arms disappeared into the bag, pulling out a gleaming black helmet from the very bottom of the bag. How it even fit in the backpack, Ishimaru was not going to question. The brunette somehow widened his grin, almost shoving the helmet into Taka's arms. Grasping onto the item, he couldn't help but give his bro a questioning look.  
"Go ahead and put that on dude, safety first."  
"What about you?"  
"I've ridden a bike before, so I'll be fine. You however, have probably not."  
"That is an assumption."  
"Is it wrong?"  
"........No"  
"Well then, case closed."  
"Fine."  
Ishimaru struggled with the heavy helmet for a second, before sliding it onto his head, clipping the strap securely under his chin. He grinned, looking through he gap in the mask. He moved his head a little too fast however, and the visor snapped shut, partially blocking the sound of a tiny surprised scream. Mondo couldn't help but laugh, slicking his hair back with one hand while pulling up the bike with the other. He swung his leg over effortlessly, and watched Ishimaru with an expectant expression.

Taka gulped, shakily stepping over to the bike. His knees almost buckled as he attempted to copy Mondo's actions. Dropping onto the seat with all the grace of a ballet dancing seal, he squeaked again as the bike tipped slightly from his impact. Mondo stamped his foot down, steadying it. Craning his neck back, he nudged his friend with his shoulder.  
"You okay?"  
"Yes, I am. Can we... not go too fast on this thing?"  
"Sure thing. Just hold on, you'll be fine. We ready to go?"  
Ishimaru shuffled in his seat, not sure how he felt about being so close to his bro. He placed his hands on Mondo's hips, attempting to follow the instruction of 'hold on'.  
".....Yes"  
It kicked off way too fast. Mondo turned the key, powering the bike into life, its purring motor rumbling up through the seats. He kicked out the bikes leg, but before it could even sway, it sped off, wheels screeching as it gained speed. Ishimaru's hands went almost instantly from the bikers hips to clasping for dear life onto the front of his shirt, the helmet on his head closing out what little screaming could be heard above the roar of the bike and the wind whipping past. He clamped his eyes shut, burying his covered face in the others back, tightening the python hold he had round his waist. Mondo was surprised at first, but remembered quickly this was the first time for the other. He tried dropping his speed a little as he pulled onto the road, and succeeded in doing a good enough job that he could hear the hysterical shouting from behind him.  
"WEREGONGTODIEWEREGOINGTODIEWEREGOINGTODIESLOWDOWN!!!!!!!"  
"IF I SLOW DOWN, WE'LL FALL OFF"  
"WE-DO NOT SLOW DOWN, NO MATTER WHAT DONOTSLOWDOWN!!!!!!"  
"SURE THING, HOLD ON TIGHT, CORNER COMING UP!"  
The bike swung around the corner, leaning into it. Another barely muffled scream. Mondo had to hold back a laugh. Only just managing it. They tore down a long strip of straight road, surprisingly vacant of cars. The lack of turns caused Taka to crack open one eye. He saw the road rip past beneath them, the trees on either side a green blur. He saw the perfectly competent driver on the seat in front of him, and he relaxed. Not enough to loosen his grip, but enough to open the other eye, and stop thinking that he was going to die any second. He even cracked a smile, this was actually fun.

~~~~~~~~~~Time skip~~~~~~~~~~~

The bike rolled to a stop, aided by a foot planting firmly in the dirt. Mondo didn't hesitate in getting off his bike, at least not normally. But this time, he had to pry his slightly shaky friend off his lower half. Slowly, he was released, and he offered his hand to the shell shocked hall monitor. He had to admit, he was proud of how he handled that. Ishimaru took it gratefully, using the leverage to haul himself up to a standing position. Yanking off the helmet, he handed it back to Mondo, who tucked it under his arm with a grin. Ishimaru's hair was everywhere, fluffed up and poking about at gravity defying angles. He ran his fingers through it, trying to make it even slightly orderly. He was attending a party after all. Looking about, he noted that they had arrived at a large hall like building. It rose into the air about three storeys, and in the main entrance was a set of dark double doors. The light in the windows gave a strong yellow glow, illuminating the street around them. There were plenty of bikes parked out front, and Mondo wheeled his over to join them, locking the wheel to a metal ring in the ground. He walked back over again, gesturing towards the double doors. The pair walked up to them, Mondo swinging them open in anticipation. The faces of so many all turned to see them, and there was a loud shout from the back of the room.

"YO! MONDO'S HOME!"

The people in the hall all broke into a load, chantey cheer, some raising their cups towards them. Mondo beamed, walking straight into the room, leaving Ishimaru to speed in behind him. A look of recognition crossed the brunettes face, and he yelled to a man that was fast approaching the two.

"Takemichi, you son of a bitch. How you been?"  
He wrapped his arm around the man, who was apparently called Takemichi, and pulled him into an affectionate noogie. The other laughed, shoving Mondo off.  
"Its all good man, how bout you? Damn its good to be back, I was missing your smug mug."  
He punched Mondo's shoulder, grinning at the biker. Ishimaru had no idea what to do, or what he should say, or how far he'd get if he ran right now-  
"Oh hey, this is Taka. He's like, my brother from another mother, ya know?"  
Before he could initiate any escape plans, Mondo grabbed Taka around the shoulders, pulling him into his side. Ishimaru had no idea what to do, so he just sort of waved.  
"Well, nice ta meetcha Taka. I'm Yukimaru Takemichi, but you can call me Takemichi. Or, son of a bitch if you go by Oowada's name for me."  
He stuck out his hand, and Ishimaru shook it with as much confidence as he could muster.  
"Hello."  
"Huh, not much of a talker eh?"  
"Heh, guess not. Where's Daiya at?"  
"He's in the back."  
"Cheers. Later dude."  
"Later man, good to meetcha Taka. Welcome to the party."  
"Uh, thank you."  
Before he could say much more, Mondo was guiding him through the swarm of bodies, Takemichi having taken his helmet, towards a door that was being held ajar by a large speaker. There was music blaring, people shouting and laughing, drinks everywhere. The atmosphere was warm, fun and bright. It was terrifying, yet welcoming at the same time. Mondo held his grip on Taka's shoulder, walking through the door, calling out above the music.  
"YO DAIYA! GUESS WHO'S HOME!"  
"MONDO! WELCOME BACK LITTLE BRO!"  
A man appeared from behind a stack of boxes, holding out his arms wide. He grabbed Mondo, putting him in a head lock and ruffling his hair beyond saving. He was taller than Mondo, hair a jet black, styled in that same pompadour style almost always worn by the brunette. His jacket was almost exactly like his brothers, but its colour was white instead of black. Thick eyeliner scored his cheek the same as Mondo's. They looked almost like clones, it was insane. Ishimaru shuffled in place, watching the energetic reunion nervously. Daiya seemed to notice him, and released his brother.  
"Hey bro, I see you got my message. So, this the guy we always hear about?"  
"(BRO STOP) Yeah, bro, this is Taka. Taka, this is Daiya, my brother, leader of The Crazy Diamonds."  
"Hi Taka, its nice to see my baby bro has friends. Welcome to our humble party."  
He raised his hand, holding it out to the hall monitor. Ishimaru took it, shaking firmly, a smile plastered onto his face.  
"Its nice to meet you Daiya. Thank you for allowing me to attend."  
"Hey its no problem. Any friend of Mondo's is a friend of mine. Your welcome here, after all; its a party!"  
"Hey bro, why we here tonight? The landlord ban us again?"  
"You know it. Apparently last time we had a party, the broom through the window went too far. So,we got a backup place from a friend of Yasuge."  
"Sweet. Its probably better than the flat anyway. More room."  
Yeah true. You two want anything- A drink?"  
Mondo glanced at Ishimaru, who nodded, almost shyly.  
"Yeah sure.  
Daiya turned around for a second, rustling around in the boxes behind him. He pulled out three cans, tossing one to each of them, and cracking the third one for himself. Ishimaru caught his can, and read the label, stomach heavy with dread. It was grape soda, Panta. Not alcohol, not even Saki, just plain old Panta. He smiled, opening the can and taking a generous mouthful. He watched Mondo catch his own drink, popping the lid and downing nearly the entire can. He laughed, smiling at his brother lovingly. Ishimaru wondered what it was like to have a real brother. He supposed he knew, but it wasn't exactly the same. Still, this was enough.

Daiya finished his can, crushing it and throwing it into the box behind him. He lifted the cardboard cube, leading them back to the party with a movement of his head. They followed willingly, back to the noise, the lights, the music. Everyone turned to stare dotingly at their leader, and his companions. Daiya dropped his stuff,banging the box down in a table laden with food and drink of all kinds. He nodded at the guy who seemed to run he music, and the roaring beat lowered to a low thrum. Daiya cleared his throat, all conversations dying down, heads turning to focus on him.

"HEY, LISTEN UP! THIS IS TAKA, A FRIEND OF MONDO'S. BE NICE, THIS GUY IS PRETTY CHILL. WELCOME HIM YA'LL!"

The whole group grinned, eyes focusing in on Ishimaru. He feared the worst as the room seemed to take a collective breath, waiting for the taunts-

"YO TAKA, WELCOME TO THE PARTY!"

They all chorused. Smiles on their faces, no hint of sarcasm to be seen. Some even waved, or raised their cups. He was blown away, all thoughts thrown at Mach 20 from his brain. They seemed to genuinely want him here. There was no underlying threat, or joke. None of them wanted to beat him to a pulp or steal his lunch money, they just wanted to dance and have fun. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes, but he wiped them before they were noticed. Daiya grinned down at him from his height, a hand landing happily on his shoulder.  
"Seems they like you kiddo, I hope we didn't scare ya. Lotsa people would panic in your place, but ya seem to have a good effect on my bro."  
Ishimaru could understand that, but at the same time, he was glad that he possibly had a positive effect on Mondo, enough for his own brother to notice it. He couldn't help but smile a little. God he'd been wrong about what he thought these guys would be like.  
"Yes, it does seem that way huh? I'm glad to be friends with your brother, he has had a very positive effect on my confidence!"  
"Its good to hear that kiddo. I always knew he could do great things. Like I said, a friend of Mondo's is a friend of mine. And a friend of mine, is a friend of the Gangs."  
"OI Taka, there's a Karaoke machine here, and Yasuge over here thinks he could beat anyone here. I think we need to prove his ass wrong. You in?"  
Ishimaru grinned. He nodded to Daiya, who smiled and returned the gesture. This party had turned out a lot better than he thought it ever could. These people weren't fear mongers. They were friends he hadn't met yet. And no one was going to stop him from fixing that.  
"Coming Bro, hold that mic!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He tries, he really does. Ishi is a scaredy cat at heart, but he tries.
> 
> Happy Valentines beans~


	9. karaoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WHO WON?? WHO'S NEXT??? YOU DECIDE!!!!!  
> EPIIIIIIIIICCCC RAPPP BATTLES OF BIKERGANG!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> (I am so sorry)

"Alright, here's how it goes. We pick a song on our own, and ya'll vote by screaming out. Daiya can judge. If theres no clear winner which, since I'm singing, is highly unlikely we take it to the roster to decide the next song genre, and it goes to sudden death! Any objections to these rules, speak now or forever deal with it!"  
A loud "get on with it" resonated throughout the room, making the decision of the people evident. Yasuge grinned, handing the mic to Mondo and Ishimaru, as he called up his girlfriend to join him. The two teams stood opposite eachother on a makeshift stage of panta crates, the karaoke machine sat on an enormous speaker, screen tilted into view.

So, what song ya gonna do Mondo? Remember you have no chance since we got first dibs, its not too late for an honourable pussying out."  
"You wish, your scared were gonna kick your ass. But keep lying to yaself. So, what we singing Taka?"  
The list of songs displayed on the screen and Irumi smiled, standing on her tiptoes to whisper her decision to Yasuge. He matched her grin, and took the mic from his gangmate. The screen flashed purple, before a count in and a title for hot mess was shown. The duo crowded round the mic, the room of onlookers cheering for the upbeat song to get started. The beat dropped, and the duo began to sing. If Ishimaru was telling the truth, they were pretty good. But as he listened, he noticed something.Though Irumi was closing her eyes repeatedly to sing, she didn't know the words. Her voice raised at the ones she did know, then dropped again if she as unsure.   
On top of that, ey both stood frigid, a pretty boring display to watch. He waved a hand at mondo, beckoning for him to lean in. When he complied, Ishimaru pointed out his observations, which caused Mondo's face to split with a grin. A plan was formulating, and he leant over, whispering to Taka:  
"When its our go, were gonna make it a little more interesting. Just follow my moves alright?"  
Ishimaru's face hardened in determination, as he nodded approvingly to his friend. The song finished up, and Yasuge's face held a look like the cat who just got adopted by the cream factory. He passed the mic to Mondo, with a simple, "Top that" to boot. Mondo smiled at him, a dangerous flash in his eyes at the asskicking his gangmate was about to receive. Stepping up to the machine, Mondo swiped his finger up the screen of options conferring quietly with Taka about their choice. He chuckled, pointing to a song that Ishimaru simply nodded at gleefully. The screen flashed purple once again, before the song title flashed on the screen

HEY BROTHER  
READY IN   
4,3,2,1

They both came in at the same time, each holding onto the mic with one hand, whilst motioning with the other. They danced in place and sang at the same time, and as the beat began to fade in, a nod was exchanged and they both began stamping their feet. The crowd of bikers were cheering, stamping and clapping along, Even Yasuge looked like he wanted to join in. They sang through the next verse, and Mondo noticed Takemichi was shoving his way to the front of the crowd. He and Ishimaru seemed to hold out their hands to the approaching man simultaneously, and together they hoisted him onto the stage with them. He began to dance like there was no tomorrow, Mondo and Ishimaru still stamping out a surprisingly co-ordinated dance on the crates. The cheering increased as the song drew to a close, the boys had one hand still on the mic, the other arm around the others shoulders. As the last note came up, Takemichi seemed to forget he was at a party not a concert, and slid in front of the two singers, nearly being trampled by them. They passed a look again, and as the song ended, the two threw a salute to the crowd and bowed together, Takemichi still on the floor in front of them. Daiya was cheering at the front of the group, and began hauling himself onto the stage. With a hand from the boys, he got up there, and clasped a hand on   
each team leader's shoulder.

"Well, lets see how the vote goes. I you wanna vote for Yasuge and Irumi, break a lung now"  
A confident cheer built from patches around the room, and Ishimaru began to get nervous.  
"Pretty good, now if your favourite was Mondo and Taka, let em know!"  
The room broke into a deafening roar, so much so that if he wasn't silently going into happy overdrive, Ishimaru would have covered his ears. Beaming, he looked to his friend, who saw the ecstatic expression of the hall monitor, and returned it. Daiya stood between the two, raising one hand in each of his.  
"Looks like we have a winner folks! Cups up!"  
Everyone in the room cheered again, raising their drinks up to the two still grinning bros. Even Yasuge grinned, raising a drink he had acquired at some point. Irumi laughed and waved her hand in the air, imitating a cup shape with her hand. Ishimaru was only boosted by seeing that the two competitors held no grudges against them. The normal music kicked back in again, and Daiya waved his hand out to his gang, shouting into the microphone  
"Come on snakes, lets rattle!"  
Yet another cheer went up as the whole room broke out into feverish dancing. Guys grabbed their girls, and swung them around, laughter and shouting flooding the floor. Ishimaru looked around, genuinely concerned that there were snakes at a party. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Mondo mouthing the words   
IT MEANS LETS DANCE  
Ishimaru then understood, and visibly calmed the hell down. With the help of his bro, he climbed off of the makeshift stage, and into the writhing sea of dancers.He began to try dancing himself, but then realised he still had his bag on. Mondo seemed to notice that too, as well as his own bag still on his back. How didn't he see that earlier? He shrugged it off and grabbed Taka's wrist, frightening the poor hall monitor. He led him through the crowd to the backroom Daiya had disappeared into again. They walked into the slightly quieter room, looking around. Ishimaru wasn't certain of what was going on.  
"OI DAIYA! WHERE CAN ME AND TAKA DUMP OUR STUFF?"  
Mondo shouted into the room, and as if on queue, Daiya popped up behind the two again, startling them both this time.  
"Hey baby bro, ya can chuck em out back in the old office, but ya gotta watch out for the hellhound."  
Ishimaru visibly shrank. What in the world was the hellhound??! Mondo seemed to perk at this, eyes almost glinting with glee. He thanked his brother, and half led, half dragged Taka to the office. Opening the door, there was only a split second before a small, creamy white shape came flying at the two. Ishimaru almost screamed, but Mondo simply picked up the ecstatic ball of fur, equally excited.  
"CHUCK! HI BUDDY, YA MISS ME?! WHOS A GOOD LIL DEVIL? HELL YEAH ITS YOU!!"  
Taka blinked slowly, looking at the supposedly terrifying biker melt at the paws of a tiny dog, who was attempting to lick his face clean off. Huh. Mondo turned happily to the raven head, still holding a curious and wiggly dog.  
"Ishimaru, this is my dog, Chuck. He's a licker, but he won't bite ya. Chuck, say hi!"  
The little dog barked chirpily, and Taka carefully held out a hand to pat the dog. He was rewarded with an onslaught of tiny sniffs and licks. They tickled, and he couldn't help but laugh at the 'little devil'. Mondo reluctantly put him down, and Chuck immediately ran out the still open door before either boy could stop him. From the next room, they heard someone yell  
"HELLHOUND!"  
Which was speedily accompanied by an entire room of "ahhh's" and "soo cute!". Mondo chuckled, taking Takas bag and placing it, and his, behind a desk that was sat against the wall. The two then left and walked back to the room to try and find Chuck. When they walked back in, they spotted Takemichi holding onto the dog, talking to a group of guys. He seemed to have the situation under control, so Mondo decided to just let him be.They instead decided to head over and grab another drink and some food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party was starting to draw to a close, and Ishimaru honestly didn't want it to. Over the course of the evening, different groups of the gang had come up to talk to him. At one point, someone asked about his outfit, and he blurted it was a proper school uniform for A prefect . Instead of tearing him apart however, they commended him for being focused on his studying, even going as far as to joke about hoping his habits would wear off on Mondo. To which the brunette pulled out all of his class notes and waved them in the gangmembers face.

It had generally just been an amazing night. Hell he even danced! But people were getting tired, and the time was fast approaching 10. This was probably the latest Ishimaru had ever stayed up on a school night, and surprisingly, this only spurred him on. He helped clear up at the end of the night, and eventually decided he wanted to leave for home too. Another gang member spoke up, asking if he'd like to go in his car. However, to everyone's surprise, He said he'd prefer to go with Mondo. Mondo obliged this request, honestly feeling proud of Taka. They asked Takemichi to take Chuck back to Mondo's place, then went to the back office to collect their things.

Things gathered, they left the office, shutting off the light on their way. Leaving the building they ran into Daiya, who was making final clear up checks. He walked over, only to ruffle Mondo's hair one last time in a silent goodbye. He then turned to Ishimaru, smiling warmly  
"Thank you for attending tonight Taka, it was good meeting you, and your singing certainly kicked the party up a gear. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed having you."  
Ishimaru smiled back, nodding his head and bowing slightly  
"Yes thank you, I did. I'm glad to hear people liked my singing, and it was wonderful to meet everyone. Thank you again for inviting me."  
Daiya chuckled, ruffling Taka's hair as well  
"Formal lil thing aren't ya? Like I said, your welcome anytime, you are a friend after all. And Mondo seems to be very fond of you."  
He winked at his brother, who was beginning to look like a sunburnt cherry. The action sailed over the hall monitor's head, and he simply smiled, turning to his friend.  
"Well, I am very fond of him as well. Goodnight Daiya"  
"Night Kiddo, see ya at home Mondo"  
"Yeah bye bro, good ta have ya back."  
And with that, Mondo nearly dragged Ishimaru outside, and began turning on his bike. Swinging his leg over and firing it up, he grinned at Taka, who was once again putting on his helmet. The raven haired boy swung his leg over without hesitation, and as Mondo ripped out of his parking space and onto the road, he heard laughing come from the helmet behind him, and he couldn't help but laugh along too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I am honestly so sorry. If any of you guys are still hanging on for this fic, then I am so sorry. I've been in a rut with this story for months now, so there's been little to go on. But after some discussions with my broskis, we have a full story plot, with gags and all planned out! So now I'm not hitting a literary piñata three metres off the ground with a toothpick, updates should be a more common occurrence. In fact, I plan on two more by next Sunday.  
> I can't thank you guys enough for being patient with me, and I hope you enjoyed this story, and have a lovely night/day! ~


	10. Goodnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo takes Ishimaru home... and Ishimaru regrets it.

The road ripped past so fast underneath them, it didn't even look like road. Strobes of yellow intercepted the smooth grey surface, the roar of the engine cutting over and sounds of the gravel being crushed beneath the wheel. The cool night air whipped loose strands of Mondo's hair in every direction, failing to deter him from staring at the road ahead. Following the muffled instructions from the boy behind him, he turned off of the main road to start heading down a smaller street. The bike purred as they slowed, eventually coming to a guided stop outside of the house. He'd tried to park it a s quietly as possible. He may be a gang member, but he wasn't a dick this late at night.  
He felt the bike lurch slightly upwards as Ishimaru got off behind him, followed by clicking sounds as the hallmonitor removed his helmet. His hair was even wilder than usual, swaying in the breeze like it was still at the party. Mondo followed suit, cutting the engine and hopping off the beloved vehicle. The pair walked up to the door, Ishimaru reaching into his pocket, presumably for his key. Before he could slip it into the lock, the door swung back, scaring them both.  
Standing in the doorway was a small, sweet looking woman with long, ebony hair tied in a messy bun. She beamed in recognition at the sight of Ishimaru, and sent a smiling nod of confusion towards Mondo. He waved a little, surprised by his own timidness. That was weird. Something seemed to click in the old girls eyes, and she took on a similar look of happiness and surprise.  
"Ah, hello Kiyo, this must be the boy you're always talking about! Mondo isn't it?"  
The biker nodded, not sure what to do.   
" It's lovely to finally meet you dear, we've heard soo much about you! I think my little Kiyo here has really taken a liking to you!"  
She reached out her arm, wrapping it around her sons shoulders, squeezing him into her side. For a small woman, she had a lot of hug strength. He looked at his friend, who genuinely looked as if he wanted the earth to swallow him right there.  
The doorway darkened with another shadow, and there was suddenly a slightly older, more tired looking Ishimaru clone in the doorway. He smiled almost apologetically at the brunette, before placing a gentle hand on the woman's shoulders.  
"Dear, put him down before you crush him. We can't keep doing this every time he comes home."  
The lady obliged her husbands orders, releasing her son with a pouty look on her face. She huffed theatrically, poking out her bottom lip and crossing her arms like a child.  
"ohhh alright! I'm just happy to have my lil officer home! And to meet his friend here!"  
She grinned again, pointing an arm at mondo. Ishimaru was looking at him with a silent plea for forgiveness, which Mondo couldn't help but smile at. At least he didn't need to worry about HIS family being embarrassing. The older man stuck out his hand to Mondo, who shook it warmly.   
"Its nice to meet you lad. I would like to formally apologise for my wife, she gets very excitable when Taka brings over friends."  
"That's no problem sir, I'm quite flattered. But I'd best be getting home-"  
"Aw, are you sure you don't want to come in for a minute dearie? We'd be happy for you to stay the night, save driving back in that nasty dark! Isn't that right kiyo?"  
"Mother, It's very late, and a school night and I'm sure he wants to spend some time with his brother instead of half freezing on the doorstep outsid-"  
Taka waved his hands slightly, clearly wishing he was anywhere else. His dad cut him off with a laugh, clapping a hand onto his shoulder.  
"Yes, you're right son. Maybe another night though hey hun?"  
The man looked down at his wife, who happily nodded. Ishimaru seemed to almost deflate with relief. Mondo chuckled again, feeling a little bad for his bro, but exceedingly flattered he'd even mentioned him to the parents.  
"Well, it looks like its getting late, so I'm gonna head home now, Need ta check Daiya didn't set the place on fire or something."  
He smiled coyly at the relieved smirk on taka's face, who nodded tiredly at him. He stepped into the doorway, with a polite "Home safe" to his mother. She laughed, hugging him again, and the three stood there in the doorway as the biker re-mounted his bike and started it up. He waved, and the three returned the gesture with a smile. Ishimaru stepped in front of his parents again, waving the most.  
"Have a good evening Oowada! I'll see you tomorrow!"  
Mondo looked back, waving as he revved the bike.  
"Yeah, you too! Night Taka!"  
and with that he kicked up the foot peg, and raced off into the twilight.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pulling the bike to a final stop, Mondo led the still warm vehicle into his garage, lovingly making sure it was safely stood and clean. When he opened the garage door leading to the house, he was once again attacked by the viscious guard dog.  
"Hey hellhound, leave this soul be eh?"  
He smiled, patting the fur on the little dogs head. Chuck yipped approvingly, before racing off into the house. He heard his brother whistling, and the fridge slam shut from the next room over. Kicking off his shoes and throwing down his bag, he followed the noise into the kitchen. His brother stood there in full gear, Putting the unfinished crates of drink into the fridge. He didnt even hear his brother enter as he finished up his little tune. Mondo flicked on the light, since theyd payed the damn bill afterall, and wandered over to the older boy.  
"Crazy night huh?"  
"Sure was, you really know how to get a party goin huh baby bro?"  
Daiya threw his brother a drink, who in return set it down on the counter next to him.  
"Thanks, but I'm goin to bed. I got school tomorrow."  
"Ok, where's my brother?"  
"I'm serious!"  
Daiya walked over from the fridge, and ruffled his brothers hair beyond all hopes of styling. He could do it tomorrow.  
"Looks like that kid is really rubbing off on you huh?"  
"Yeah, I guess he is."  
Despite the catastrophe that was now his hair, he couldn't help but smile back at his brother.  
"Good, I like him. Now go get that rest kiddo."  
"Aight, night bro, glad ta have ya home."  
"Thank you, thank you, Ill be here all week."  
The gang leader bowed with a grin, watching as his brother left their small kitchen, laughing. He left his damn drink on the counter.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Throwing down his jacket, Mondo pondered how late it was. True he was always up late (something he paid for), ut he knew what today meant for him. And for Taka. Still, he'd gone to the trouble of taping all those eggboxes to his door, so he may as well...

He closed his bedroom door, carefully covering the gap at the bottom of the door with some crumpled washing. Slinking back to his bed, he pulled out a much more worn, beaten guitar and gave the strings a causious strum. When he heard nothing from the hallway, he exhaled a sigh of relief.

One more practice before bed couldnt hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkkkkk so I hate myself, but here's a new chapter. I'm writing this weekend instead of studying so there should be more soon. Bless you if you're still reading this.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!This my very first work on here,so i hope you like it! constructive criticism is welcome,but please don't be mean.This idea ocurred to me in music class. We were doing pair work,and I was paired with the class bad ass.He turned out to be an amazing musician.So this idea was created. Please let me know what you think,and have a great day!
> 
> ps:if your wondering what they played,here ya go!  
> Mondo:Hey brother  
> Ishimaru:firework(piano cover)


End file.
